Filling machine having reticulated drums for filling fabric containers with fibrous material



Nov. 15; 1949 M. GOLDBERG FILLING MACHINE HAVING RETICULIATED DRUMS FORFILLING Filed Aug. 9, 1945 FABRIC CONTAINERS WITH FIBROUS MATERIAL 3Sheets-Sheet 1 MAX GOLD BE RG INVENTOR BYWMM ATTORNEY NOV. 15, 1949 M,GOLDBERG 2,488,394

FILLING MACHINE HAVING RETICULATED DRUMS FOR FILLING FABRIC CONTAINERSWITH FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed Aug. 9, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l N I IIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM 10060000 0000000000 ,1 l mono-000000000000oooooooooooomooea I oooooooooooooooaa l oooooooooooooooowoo00o00oo0o000000 ODQOOOOOOOQOOOMN MAX GOLDBERG INVENTOR BMW A TTORNE Y2,488,394 LING Nov. 15, 1949 M. GOLDBERG FILLING MACHINE HAVINGRETICULATED DRUMS FOR FIL FABRIC CQNTAINERS WITH FIBROUS MATERIAL 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 9, 1945 Fig. 6

MAX GOLDBERG INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 15, 1949 UNITED srA'rasPATENT OFFICE zmm- FILLING momma navmc narrow-ran mums roa FILLINGFABRIC conmmras wrrn rmaous MATERIAL Max Goldberg, New York, N. Y.Application August 9, 1945, Serial No. 09,745 2 Claims. (Cl. 226-19)'This invention relates to a filling machine for filling containers withfibrous filling material particularly of the very air buoyant type, suchas the downy covering of cattails, known in the art as- Typha. Also forsuch filling materials as kapok. down and the like, and particularlyinto non-porous containers.

An object of this invention is to provide a filling machine in whichcontainers are filled with material which is so light as to practicallyfloat in the air.

Another object of this invention is to provide a filling machine havingtwo co-acting perforated drums mounted to rotate toward each otherwithin openings in the side walls of a hopper, and feed fibrous fillingmaterial from the hopper through a nozzle and into a container to befilled.

Another object of this invention is to provid suction means connectedwith suction chambers fixed inside the perforated drums through whichthe air entrained between the interstices of the fibrous material isremoved therefrom while the drums exert a feeding action on the fibrousmaterial.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will behereinafter more particularly described, and the combination andarrangement of parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claims which form part of this specification.

Reference will now be had to'the drawings, wherein like numerals ofreference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the two-drum filling machine.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, the section being taken as on line2-2 in Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a view showing a front elevation of the filling machine,partly broken away to show the interior of the drums.

Figure 4 is an end view of the filling machine.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the filling machine showing drivemechanism.

Figure 6 shows a fragmentary portion of the' filling machine taken alongthe outer surface of the front wall of the casing, the front wall beingbroken away to show a semi-circular gasket.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the numeral I0 indicatesa filling machine for filling containers such as cushions, pillows,etc., with material which is so light as to practically float in theair.

]- mounted in bearings l2, l2 at the front wall l3 of the casing II aretwo shafts 14, ll with their axes in a horizontal plane. The shaftsextend into the casing II and have drums I5, 15 secured at their endsinside the casing. The casing II has side openings Ii, I. in oppositeside walls through which portions of the drums extend outwardly.

Gears l1, II are fixed to the shafts II, M and are in intermeshingrelation. A pinion gear I! carried by a motor 20 is in intermeshingrelation with one of the gears l1 and when the motor shlaft rotates, thedrums l5 rotate towards each 0 er.

For the purpose of this invention, the drums cumferences. The casing IIhas an inlet or hopper portion II for filling material at its upper end.The casing has a nozzle or outlet 22 at its lower end.

The drums are in slightly spaced-apart relation and provide a passageway23 from the inlet of the hopper H to the outlet 22.

Suction housings or chambers 25 are fixedly secured inside the rotatabledrums l5. Each suction chamber has an open arcuately shaped sideadjoining the inner periphery of a drum. Suction means such as an airblower 26 is in communication with the suction chambers 25, by means ofa pipe 24.

It is to be noted that the filling material has interstices between thefibers, and when deposited in the inlet or hopper portion ll of thecasing I l is fed by the drums is into and through the nozzle 22 andinto a container 28 suitably held by the nozzle. The air displaced bythe filling material from the container 28 is removed by the suctionmeans 26. The air passes outwardly from the container through theinterstices between the fibers in the nozzle. The direction of fiow ofthe air is opposite to the direction of ggeding of the filling materialthrough the nozzle Traetive driving force between the fibrous materialand the peripheral surfaces of the drums II is imparted to the fibers bythe suction through the apertures IS in the drums l5 which form nodulesof fibrous material in each perforation.

At the greatest compression point 30, or the point where the two drumsare nearest, the-filling material is compressed and acquires itsgreatest tractive driving force to deliver the material into and throughthe nozzle.

The filling machine ll comprises a casing ll At a lower clearance point3| where the nozzle walls adjoin the revolving drums there are sealingstrips 32 which are fixed to edges of the suction chambers 25 andfrictionally contact the inner peripheral surfaces of the revolvingdrums IS.

The compressed material passes the point of greatest compression 39,breaks up into batches, and continues this motion for a short distancedue to the influence ofthe suction through the apertures l9. Sealingstrips 33 fixed to the upper edge portions of the nozzle 22 compensatefor mechanical clearances and prevent air at atmospheric pressure fromleaking into the sub-atmospheric nozzle chamber.

The adhering filling material on the drums, after passing the loweredges of the walls of the eryof a drum, suction means in communicationwith said suction chambers and with said filling material in said casingthrough said perforations, whereby fibrous material having intersticesand deposited in said hopper is fed by said drums into and through saidnozzle while the entrained air is removed from said filling materialthrough said interstices, the direction of the flow of said entrainedair being opposite to the direction of feeding of said filling materialinto said nozzle,

a said nozzle being under sub-atmospheric pressure,

' and sealing strips fixed to edges of said auction suction chambers, ispast the influence of the with substantially air buoyant material,comprissuction in the suction chambers through the perforations and isreleased from contact with the apertured drums and is forced downward bythe compressed material at the point of greatest compression 39 directlyinto and through the outlet 22.

As shown in Figures 1 and 6, a substantially semi-circular gasket fitsbetween the drum [5 and the casing II and prevents leakage around thedrums. The gasket is held in any suitable manner in fixed relation tothe casing. Four gaskets are employed, one gasket at each end face ofthe drums.

Each drum l5 has an annular flange 29 at the end opposite the solid endwall 34. Each flange 29 is in frictional engagement with a gasket 35 onthe side of the casing H facing the suction means 26. A flanged sleeve36 is fixed to the wall 34 by rivets 37. A pin 38 secures the shaft itto the flanged sleeve 36.

As shown in Figure 2, a branch pipe 24' is suitably connected to thesuction housing 25 by a flange 21. Each of the suction housings 25 has aflange for connection with the branch pipe 24'. It is to be noted thatthe suction chambers 25 are secured to the pipes 24'.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described and illustratedthe preferred embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood thatvarious changes and modifications can be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a filling machine for filling containers with substantially airbuoyant material, comprising a casing, two perforated drum's rotatablychambers and frictionally contacting said drums to prevent air underatmospheric pressure from leaking into said nozzle.

2. In a filling machine for filling containers ing a casing, twoperforated drums rotatably mounted in said casing with their axes lyingin a single horizontal plane, means for rotating said drums toward eachother, said casing having a hopper portion or inlet at its upper end anda nozzle at its lower end, said drums being slightly spaced apart andproviding a passageway therebetween from said hopper to said nozzle,suction chambers fixedly secured inside said rotatable drums, eachsuction chamber having an arcuately-shaped open side adjoining the innerperiphery of a drum, suction means in communication with said suctionchambers and with'said filling material in said casing through saidperforations, whereby fibrous material having interstices between thefibers and deposited in said hopper is fed by said drums into andthrough said nozzle while the entrained air is removed from said fillingmaterial through said interstices, the direction of the flow of saidentrained air being opposite to the direction of feeding of said fillingmaterial into said nozzle, said nozzle being under sub-atmosphericpressure, and sealing strips fixed to edges of said suction chambers andfrictionally mounted in said casing with their axes lying in contactingsaid drums to prevent air under atm'ospheric pressure from leaking intosaid nozzle, said suction chambers having walls positioned substantiallyradially of said drums, the distance between said radial walls beingless than the distance between said sealing strips.

MAX GOLDBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

, UNITED STATES PATENTS Clark Aug. 1, 1944

